by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. This list ranks 10 programs for Women’s Lacrosse by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, College Factual evaluates each program using a blend of academic-athletic outcomes (NCAA Academic Progress Rate and Graduation Success Rate), athletic financial resources (team revenue, expenses, and aid per athlete from the EADA survey), and overall school quality, drawing on NCAA, U.S. Department of Education EADA, and IPEDS data. Learn more about our ranking methodology.
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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Leading the list is Saint Anselm College, our #1 college for Women's Lacrosse. Located in Manchester, NH, Saint Anselm College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,852, compared with $10,852 spent per athlete. The school awards about $5,219 in athletic aid per athlete.
Dartmouth College landed the #2 spot for Women's Lacrosse. This private not-for-profit school is set in Hanover, NH. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 993, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $24,662, with expenses of about $24,662 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Rivier University ranked #3 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. This private not-for-profit school is set in Nashua, NH. The program generates about $6,476 in revenue per athlete, against $6,476 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of New Hampshire-Main Campus earned the #4 place for student athletes. Based in Durham, NH, University of New Hampshire-Main Campus is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 990, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 83%. The program generates about $26,044 in revenue per athlete, against $26,044 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $19,869 per athlete.
Colby-Sawyer College is one of the top schools for Women's Lacrosse, at #5. Located in New London, NH, Colby-Sawyer College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $2,471, with expenses of about $2,471 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Southern New Hampshire University did well this year, earning the #6 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Manchester, NH. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,668, against $12,668 in expenses. The school awards about $4,849 in athletic aid per athlete.
Keene State College came in at #7 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Keene, NH. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,524, against $6,226 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Franklin Pierce University placed #8 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. Located in Rindge, NH, Franklin Pierce University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $9,945 per participant, compared with $9,945 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $292.
Plymouth State University ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Women's Lacrosse. Based in Plymouth, NH, Plymouth State University is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,433, against $6,097 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
New England College placed #10 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. Located in Henniker, NH, New England College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $6,671 per participant, compared with $6,671 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. Programs are scored on a blend of academic-athletic outcomes (NCAA Academic Progress Rate and Graduation Success Rate), athletic financial resources (team revenue, expenses, and athletic aid from the federal EADA survey), and overall school quality. The current methodology measures academic-athletic quality and does not include team win/loss performance.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.